Recipe of the day: Mushroom and pork lasagna cups

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with Grandma’s traditional lasagna recipe, every now and again it’s fun and interesting to try new dishes and play around in the kitchen. Whether you are looking for lunchbox inspiration or a light dinner recipe, these mushroom and pork lasagna cups will do the trick.

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Mushroom and pork lasagna cups

Ingredients

• 12 portabellini or white button mushrooms
• 1 onion finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 250 g pork mince roughly chopped
• 1 carrot grated
• 350 ml tomato purée
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 500 ml milk
• ½ cup cheddar cheese grated
• salt to taste
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese grated
• 12 lasagne sheets

Method

Preheat oven to 180˚C.

For the mushrooms:

1. Using a food processor, pulse the mushrooms until they are finely chopped.
2. In a large pan, sauté the mushrooms with a little drizzle of olive oil until they have sweated off most of their water, about 10 to 15 min. Set mushrooms aside.

For the filling:

1. In the same large frying pan, add a fresh drizzle of olive oil.
2. Cook the onion until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
3. Add the pork mince and cook until golden brown around the edges.
4. Add the carrots and cook until tender.
5. Add the cooked mushrooms and tomato purée.
6. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 min until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
7. Remove from the heat and set aside.

For the bechamel:

1. In a large pan, melt the butter.
2. Once melted, add the flour and whisk over medium heat until the mixture smells like biscuits.
3. Pour in the milk in a very slow stream whisking constantly.
4. Whisk until all the milk has been fully incorporated.
5. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until thick. Season well with salt.
6. Remove béchamel from the heat and stir in the grated cheese.

For the lasagne:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, boil the lasagne sheets according to package instructions.
2. Once al dente, remove from water and lay the sheets out individually on a clean kitchen surface.
3. To construct the cups brush a muffin tin with a little olive oil.
4. Place two cooked lasagne sheets across each other in each muffin cup.
5. Trim off most of the excess while leaving some to get crispy in the oven.
6. Alternate layers of cheesy béchamel and mushroom mixture until the cups are full.
7. Top with a little mozzarella.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the lasagne cups are bubbling and golden brown.

Serving:

Allow to cool slightly before removing from cups and eating right away or packing into lunchboxes. If you are serving your lasagna cups for dinner, you can serve them with a green salad.

*This recipe was sourced from The South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association

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